Log-releasing device for scows.



No. 705,465.- Y l 5. w.sP|aNc|5n.v

LOG RELEASING DEVICE FOR SCOWS.

(Application 'mea Fqb. 24, 1902.)

Patented my 22, |902.

(No Model.)

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4 'Illu l n.lnllllumm I l l lullllllllllll\"' A TTOH/VE YS UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST WALTER SPENCER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

LOG-RELEASING DEVICE FOR SCOWS.

- SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 705,465, dated July22, 1902.

Application filed February 24, 1992. Serial No. 95,264. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t mag/concern,.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST WALTER SPEN- CER, of Portland, in the countyof Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Log-Releasing Devices for Scows, ofl which the followingis a specication. A

My invention relates to`an improvement in log-releasing devices forscows,`&c., and has for its object to release chock-blocks or timbersslidably mounted on the outer ends of inclined trusses secured to thedeck of a scow, whereby logs held on said trusses by the chock-blocks ortimbers are permitted to roll down said trusses and offA the scow onto awharf or other receiving agent.

To these ends my invention consists of the peculiar construction,arrangement, and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, and pointed out inl the drawings, `in which-Figure lis a top plan View showing the devlce secured on the deck of aseow.` Fig. 2

is an end elevation, partly broken away, as inV use. Fig. 3 is adetail'planview of the locking and unlocking mechanism. 4 is a detailsection of the hand-wheeland its bearing. Fig. 5is an elevation of thewheel. Fig. 6 is a detail section on linex'w of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is asection on line y y of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a detail side view of theswinging bolt.

l represents a scow to the deck of which j are secured at suitableintervals the double trusses 2, having their apices atthellongitu dinalcenter of the scow and inclined downwardly to each side, where theyreston and K are secured to the scow, the said trusses bel 3 is securedby bolts 3 or other suitable means l passing through the flanges 3 and32 into the scow, and said brackets are' provided with'a longitudinalbore 3a for the reception and bearing of a longitudinal shaft 4, whichex tends the entire length of'the scow and projects through saidlbrackets 3, being screwthreaded -atvits outer ends. The said shaft 4also passes through a number of bearingblocks 5, placed at suitablevintervals along the deck and secured thereto.

Secured to the shaft 4 at suitable intervals and generally adjacent toone of the bearings 5 is a keeper or casting 6 of substantially theshape shown.

transverse horizontal arms 8 8', said arms having near their outer endsopenings or holes 82 82, the purpose of which will presently appear. Y

Secured in the deck of the scow and projecting upwardly therefrombetween the transverse arms of the keepers or castings 6 and theauxiliary keepers A8 are'the pins or bolts 9. Mounted onthese pins orbolts are horizontal swinging bolts 10, which when in vtheir normalposition are in alinement with the openings 62 and 82 in y the arms ofthe keepers or castings 6 and S. These swinging bolts are'h'eld on thepins 9 by acotter-pin passedtherethrough or by anyother suitable means.i

The swinging bolts l0 consist of the bolt portion proper, 10, the hub10', and the projection or boss 102.

v11V represents chain links, to which are spliced wire ropes 12, whichlinks are adapted to encircle the swinging bolts 1 0. The wire ropespass throughl stops or eyebolts 13, secured to the deck and design'ed'tolimit the movement of links 1'1. The outerendof the wire ropes arepivotally secured to chockblocks or timbers 14 by means of the eyes 14.Secured to the sidesof the scow just below the upper edge thereof arethe ledges or shelves 15, the purpose of which will be described fartheron.

The shaft 4,Vas stated, is screw-threaded at each end, and threaded oneach end is a handwheel 16, having an inwardly-projecting hubsection16', the face of which is adapted to IOO bear against the face of thebracket or bearing and the bore of which is screw-threaded to fit thethreads on end of shaft 4.

In Fig. 3 the parts are shown as locked. Now, presuming the scow to beloaded, if it is desired to release the logs held on the doubleinclinedtrusses by the chock-blocks or timbers 14, the hand-wheel on theleft-hand end of the shaft is screwed up to the bracket 3 and draws theshaft outwardly through said bracket. The castings (i, being secured tothe shaft 4, move with it and draw the arms 6' withit until the ends ofswinging bolts lO are free of the arms 6' and holes G2, when the weightof the logs against the chock-blocks or timbers 14, through the agencyof wire ropes, causes the links 1l to pull on the swinging bolts 10 andcause them to swing clear of the castings 6. 'lhe links then moveoutwardly until their movement is arrested by the stops, they being toolarge to pass through the same. This outward movement of the links andwire ropes allows the chock-blocks or timbers to move down the inclineof the truss until they reach the side of the scow, where they turn overthe same and drop onto the ledge or shelf 15 and form a continuation ofthe inclined trusses 2.

The chock-blocks or timbers are preferably formed of longitudinaltimbers running fore and aft the entire length of the scow, their underfaces being properly beveled to allow them to rest iirmly on theinclined trusses and project diagonally upwardly at a slight angle fromthe vertical.

Vhen the keepers 6 are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the two pins 7 7prevent the auxiliary keepers or castings 8, which slide loosely on theshaft 4, from engaging with the projection or boss 102 of the swingingbolt 10; but when the longitudinal movement of shaft withdraws thekeeper 6 the auxiliary keepers or castings 8 can be moved by hand intothe position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and in this position willhold the swinging bolts 10 parallel to each other and to the shaft 4, sothat they will enter the holes 62 in the keepers 6, when they are movedback again by the longitudinal movement of the shaft, which is of greatimportance, as a number of keepers have to be so entered and `locked atthe same time, the links 11, which are spliced to the inboard end of thewire ropes 12, having been put over the swinging bolts 10, while theauxiliary keepers 8 hold the swinging bolts in parallel position. Nowwhen the keepers 6 are moved into position to lock the swinging bolts10, which hold the ropes, the auxiliary keeper is moved away from theopposite end of the swinging bolts by the pins 7 7. The said keepers 6will sustain part of the load until withdrawn, when the links 11, beingconnected to and a part of the wire ropes 12, follow them until stoppedby the eyebolts or stops 13, so placed that the chock-blocks or timbersare held at the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The links 11 must be sufficiently long to permit the ends of theswinging bolts to swing clear of the eyes of the ropes.

The bearing-blocks 5 keep shaft in its centralposition and the variousparts in their proper relative position.

I have described the construction of only one set of locking andunlocking devices, as they are all alike in construction and operation;but it is to be understood that a number of the releasing and lockingdevices are to be used and placed along the deck andoperatesimultaneouslyin order thatthe strain may be equalized.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a device for unloading logs, a suitable base, inclined trussesmounted on said base, chock-blocks movably held on and adjacent to theouter end of said trusses, cables or equivalent means secured at one endto the chock-blocks and detachably held at the other end to releasingmechanism, and means for operating said releasing mechanism.

2. In a device for unloading logs, a suitable base transverse doubleinclined trusses mounted on said base, a longitudinal shaft mounted onsaid base, chock-blocks movably held on said trusses adjacent to endsthereof, and intermediate releasing mechanism between the shaft and thechock-blocks.

3. In a device for unloading logs, the combination with a base, ofinclined log-supports, chock-blocks movably held adjacent to the ends ofsaid log-support, a longitudinal shaft mounted on the said base,releasing mechanism secured to said shaft, cables or equivalent meansconnected to said chock-blocks and to said releasing mechanism, andmeans for longitudinally moving said shaft whereby the releasingmechanism is unlocked, to release the cable and allow the chock-blocksto move over and beyond the ends of the inclined log-supports.

4. In a device for unloading logs, the combination with a base, ofinclined log-supports or trusses, a longitudinal shaft suitably mountedon said base, and screw-threaded at its ends, keepers secured to thesaid shaft, pivoted bolts secured to the base, chockblocks movably heldon and adjacent to the ends of the inclined trusses, cables orequivalent means secured to the chock-blocks at one end and engaging thepivoted bolts at the other end, and an internally-threaded hand wheel ornut mounted on the threaded ends of the shaft and adapted to have abearing against the base, whereby when the said hand wheel or nut isrotated the shaft is longitudinally moved carrying the keeper out oflocking engagement with the said swinging bolts, releasing the cable andallowing the chock-blocks to be moved outwardly over the IOO IIO

ends of the inclined log-supports or trusses by the weight of the logsbearing against the said chock-blocks.

5. In a device for unloading logs, the combination withy a suitablebase, of inclined trusses, a longitudinal shaft held in bearings onsaidbase and in said base, and threaded at each end, main keepers havingopenings therein and secured to said shaft, auxiliary keepers looselymounted on said shaft and provided with holes, pivoted bolts secured tothe base between the said main keepers and auxiliary keepers, aprojection or boss on the end of said bolt adjacent to the auxiliarykeeper, and in alinementwith main portion of the said bolts, the saidprojection or bossing adapted to engage the opening in the auxiliarykeepers, chock-blocks movably held on and adjacent to the ends of theinclined trusses, cables or equivalent means pivotally secured at oneend to the chock-blocks, and at the other end engaging loosely with thepivoted bolt, hand wheels or nuts engaging the threaded ends of theshaft and adapted to have a face bearing against the end bearingssupporting the shaft, whereby when the said hand-wheels are screwed upagainst the end shaft-bearings, the shaft is caused to be movedlongitudinally and carry the main keepers out of engagement with thepivoted bolts permitting them to swing and release one end of the cableand allow the chockblocks to be moved outwardly over the ends of theinclined trusses by the weight of the logs against them.

6. In a devce'for unloading logs, the combination of a base,double-inclined trusses mounted thereon, a longitudinal shaft, suitablymounted on said base, and threaded at each end, bearings secured at eachend of said base and supporting said shaft, main keepers secured to theshaft at suitable intervals'having side extensions provided withopenings', longitudinal pins secured to said main keepers between theshaft and the openingsin said main keepers, auxiliary keepers mounted toslide on said shaft and separated from the main keepers by the pinssecured to said main keepers, and having side extensions provided withholes in alinement with the holes of the main keepers, bolts pivotallysecured to the base opposite the holes in the main and auxiliarykeepers, and consisting of a main portion and a projection or boss,chock-blocks movably mounted on and adjacent to the ends of the inclinedtrusses, cables or equivalent means pivotally secured at one end to lthechockblocks and provided with an eye at the other end adapted to engagethe pivoted bolts, a stop interposed between the ends of the cablethrough which said cable is adapted to pass, and internally-threadedhand wheels or nuts engaging the threaded ends of the shaft, having aface bearing against the end shaftbearings, whereby when the saidhand-wheels are alternately screwed up against the said end bearings theshaft is caused to move longitudinally and cause the main keepers torelease or lock all of the pivoted bolts simultan'eously.

l* 7. In a device for unloading logs, a suitable base, inclined trussesmounted on said base, chock-blocks movably held on and adjacent to theouter end of said trusses, cables, or

4equivalent means pivotally secured at one they rest upon the saidledges or shelves and form a' continuation of the saidinclined trusses.

ERNEST WALTER SPENCER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT E. GEBHARDT, THOMAS C. TURLAY.

